No matter how good a camera may be, it cannot yield really acceptable results if it is moved during the exposure. Much of the poor definition obtained by photographers is caused by camera shake during the time the shutter is open. At shutter speeds slower than 1/25 second some sort of camera support is always essential.
A tripod is undoubtedly the most effective answer to camera shake and should be used wherever possible; certainly whenever top quality results are desired. The tripod is a three-legged stand on the top of which the camera is fixed. Most tripods have telescoping or folding legs to make them compact for portability.
As shown in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,609 issued Jan. 24, 1995, the tripod can be integrated with the camera. This eliminates the need to attach the camera to the tripod whenever the tripod is to be used.